KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Caretaker Kedah menteri besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has downplayed Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) optimism in wresting the state in the coming election.

He said it would be tough for PH to win over voters in Kedah as their support for the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition is strong, Utusan Malaysia reported today.

"A 10 per cent swing (transition to another party) is difficult in politics. Specifically in Kedah, it is difficult to swing the Malay voters,” he was quoted as telling reporters after a Langkawi Unesco Global Geopark (LUGGp) dinner event last night.

Sanusi who is also PN elections director touted the results of last November’s GE15 in which PN won 14 out of the 15 parliamentary seats in Kedah as proof that Kedahans were in favour of the coalition.

"It’s okay, (they can) keep dreaming,” he was quoted as adding.

He was commenting on Kedah PH chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar’s comment that the coalition, together with Barisan Nasional (BN), are confident that they will be able to form the next state government if they secure 10 per cent of the votes in the coming state election.

Mahfuz was reported saying last Sunday that PH and BN only needed 6 to 7 per cent of votes to swing from PN voters, based on GE15 figures, to win 16 out of the 36 state seats in Kedah.

"However, if the support goes up 10 per cent, we are confident in forming the next state government,” he was reported to have said, referring to the joint PH and BN coalitions.

The Kedah state assembly, consisting of 36 seats, was dissolved on June 28 and elections must be held within 60 days of the dissolution.